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Making a Spring Ox

糊春牛

This custom in Shaanxi is practiced right before the Start of Spring. The local government hires some skilled artisans and gathers them to build the frame of an ox out of bamboo strips and the legs with wood. Then they paste some paper and paint onto it—and, voila! The image of an ox is complete. It is said that if more red and yellow paper is used, then there will be a good harvest that year; if black paper is pasted, then the year will be poor. When the paper ox is ready, there is a ritual to paint the eyes. After that, people will set up an altar for it and worship it.

陕西人有立春前糊春牛的风俗。当地政府会聘请一些能工巧匠，让他们聚在一起，用竹篾绑成牛的骨架，然后用木头作为腿，接着糊上纸张并涂上颜料，这样一个牛的形象就完成了。民间认为，如果糊上更多的红黄色纸，那么当年的农作物将会获得丰收；如果糊上黑色的纸，则预示着当年收成不佳。春牛制作完成后，会有一个开光点睛的仪式，然后人们会设立香案并顶礼朝拜。